If you are looking for a job in Las Vegas, the new jobs numbers released from the Governor’s office, shows that hiring is on the rise in Las Vegas and throughout the state. The most recent data released from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation on August 16, shows the unemployment rate in July dropped just 0.1 percent to 9.5 percent

Las Vegas alone had a 1.6 percent uptick in job growth from the same time last year according to Nevada Workforce Informer.

“Today’s news, which shows a decline in the unemployment rate, also shows that job numbers have decreased slightly in the last month,” Governor Brian Sandoval said.

“While these are conflicting signals, the underlying trends remain positive and show that jobs are up more than 22,000 during the first seven months of this year compared to 2012 and the unemployment rate is down nearly two points. These trends, along with other measures, show our economy’s strength, and continue to point toward stable and modest growth.”

Todd Enerson, managing partner of Management Recruiters of Las Vegas, has seen an uptick in companies looking for applicants in the finance, banking and engineering sectors. A majority of the jobs lost during the great recession in Las Vegas were from the gaming and construction industries.

Las Vegas has historically been a tough market for the college-educated job seeker. But as the economy improves, companies from out-of-state looking at expanding into Nevada will have no trouble finding college educated applicants with bachelor’s and master’s degrees to fill their positions, Enerson said.

“More and more I see employers looking for higher levels of education. Even business sales and marketing positions are requiring candidates to have four-year degrees.”

Enerson says the best strategy is to have a good combination of experience and education in line with the career path you are seeking.

Christa Emmer is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in broadcast journalism. She has experience as a news writer, editor and producer in television news. Christa has been a Las Vegas resident for more than 20 years. Follow her on twitter @ChristaEmmer. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.